Aggressive eBay Buyers

zackary71

Maybe I'm getting fragile in my old age, but I'm seeing more and more unpleasant buyers and potential buyers nowadays. I've had one threaten us with negative feedback if I didn't offer compensation, after they'd realised over 2 weeks after receipt of an item that they'd thrown all the packaging away containing a tiny broken-off piece of the purchased item. And now I've been lectured that having auto-decline on for low-ball Offers puts off Buyers. Seriously ? I leave a good 20-25% low figure under B.I.N. so there's always room for negotiation. But when someone offers me £50 on a £250 Listing, are Buyers really expecting me to negotiate ? Nature of the beast ?

Debbie9009

Unfortunately I’ve found with offers buyers seem to think it’s an invitation to get something for a ridiculously low price.

I’m now sending far more to charity shops because I’m fed up of dealing with buyer’s unrealistic expectations, such as wanting an item to arrive the day after they have paid because they need it for an event.  Giving me ridiculous instructions on how to package the item, expecting me to wait a week for payment until they get paid.  These are all things I’ve had to deal with.  

Once the items I currently have on there have sold that will be me done, I only sell personal items, and I’m fed up of buyers ridiculous demands. EBay has changed so much since it started out, and in my opinion not for the better.

tightauldgit

There do seem to be quite a lot of entitled buyers on Ebay especially when they come to making lowball offers but I just let that stuff be water off a ducks back. No point to react to it. 

Belenus

zackary71 said:

Maybe I'm getting fragile in my old age, but I'm seeing more and more unpleasant buyers and potential buyers nowadays. I've had one threaten us with negative feedback if I didn't offer compensation, after they'd realised over 2 weeks after receipt of an item that they'd thrown all the packaging away containing a tiny broken-off piece of the purchased item. And now I've been lectured that having auto-decline on for low-ball Offers puts off Buyers. Seriously ? I leave a good 20-25% low figure under B.I.N. so there's always room for negotiation. But when someone offers me £50 on a £250 Listing, are Buyers really expecting me to negotiate ? Nature of the beast ?

Can you report that to eBay and ask that any such negative feedback is removed?

zackary71

You can get the negative feedback removed.  I'm normally very accomodating when it comes to sorting any issues. But in the missing piece case, it was the Buyers fault, and I told them that. Bizarrely, I offered a token amount of compensation, and shortly after, the Buyer said don't worry about the compensation and promptly left me positive feedback.
As for the entitled that tightauldgit mentioned, 100% this. Would rather not sell to them, as they're likely to complain about everything. 

goodfella66

Unfortunately, it's the arrogance of the human race which I think has been increased by social media. Everything is about me, Me, ME!

KxMx

I had one recently, was sent very long and LOUD messages about how important it was to package item correctly, I sent a reassuring reply back, no response. 

They then asked why it hadn't been sent SD as they'd requested and paid for, I replied with proof that it had, no reponse. 

The SD then took 2 working days to arrive and I was dreading further messages, but they left positive feedback! 

They are now on my blocked list. 

MattMattMattUK

I find that eBay as really gone down hill in the last few years, similar to your experience. Listing an item at a BIN price with offers down to a threshold, multiple messages saying that they want to buy it for £50 when it is a £400 item, demanding free delivery on collection only items. On auction items people emailing and saying that they will buy it now for £20 when it has only being listed in the last day and similar items regularly sell for £200+, then getting aggressive and rude answers when not agreeing to sell it to them for £20. Sob stories about why I should sell them a £300 item for £40 because it is their child's birthday and their cat died and they really want this non-essential item but their boss is evil and sacked them etc. then "you have destroyed my child's life" style responses when I will not sell them an expensive item for basically nothing. 

I have also had several issues over the last year when I have sold limited edition items (with serial numbers) on eBay, the buyer has claimed damaged on arrival, then they send back a different broken one (serial numbers do not match). In all three occasions eBay refunded them outright ignoring any complaints from my side, on one occasion they then reversed that, the other two I used MCOL to recover the money, but it is a pain and very unfriendly towards sellers. 

I also find that as well as the quality of buyers having declined significantly over the last three years eBay seems to be becoming far less friendly towards sellers, their policies seem to have shifted to hugely favour buyers and their interpretation of those has swung even further in favour of buyers, they seem to have set out to shaft the people that make their site possible. I suspect that they feel that they can act with impunity though, for most items selling on Marketplace is a car crash, populated by many scum of the earth types, Vinted works for clothes, but that leaves huge other categories of items where eBay is largely the only option. 

D924

Meanwhile today I received a package full of broken glass, because apparently packing materials are too much cost and effort.

Everyone and everything is becoming more unpleasant at a rapid rate due to the ever-increasing financial squeezing.

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

You can block buyers who bug you:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/bmgt/BuyerBlock?

and then adjust the Buyer Management options to so they can't contact you from your listings:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/bmgt/buyerrequirements

Doesn't stop the first contact will likely put an end to any further messages. Obviously doesn't apply to anyone who has actually made a purchase with you. 

zackary71

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

You can block buyers who bug you:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/bmgt/BuyerBlock?

and then adjust the Buyer Management options to so they can't contact you from your listings:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/bmgt/buyerrequirements

Doesn't stop the first contact will likely put an end to any further messages. Obviously doesn't apply to anyone who has actually made a purchase with you. 

To be fair, I've only blocked a couple in the last year. One where they were desperate for the item but needed to wait until pay day. I gave them a week to pay, then it all went silent. Months on, eBay are still asking me to leave Feedback !!